Open Forum: Turning schools into fortresses is not the best answer

Posted:
02/02/2013 07:35:50 PM MST

To the editor:

Have we finally lost our minds completely?

I remember my 12th-grade English teacher, Mrs. Lois Johnson. She was in her early 60s, about to retire from teaching, about 5 feet 4 inches and maybe 110 pounds soaking wet. Now imagine her with a .357 handgun clutched in both hands telling a would-be assailant, brandishing an assault rifle, to "Go ahead, punk, make my day." If our politicians get their way, every teacher will be carrying a concealed weapon just in case some nut job tries to re-create the Sandy Hook tragedy.

I can see it all now: Little Suzie comes home from school and Mom says "How was your day at school' Dear"? "It was OK. I got an 'A' on my spelling test, Johnny put a frog down my back at recess, and teacher had to shoot some guy who was wearing a hooded sweat shirt and wanted to kill everyone in the classroom." "That's nice Dear, now go out and play awhile before dinner but don't forget to take your gun with you just in case."

Just exactly what are the requirements to be a teacher these days? Must be skilled in math, history, and English and able to take down an armed killer from 30 feet in front of a classroom full of students. I have an idea: because it is legal for a 17-year-old to join the military with parental permission, maybe we could arm all 17- and 18-year-old students so they could jump in the fracas if needed.

What happens if someone goes into a church and starts shooting? I guess then we arm the choir and the priest, too. "Don't go in that Church, I hear Father John is packing under that robe!"

If a deranged individual decides to start mass murdering people he or she will find a way to do it. I don't have all the answers either but I'm pretty sure turning our schools into heavily armed fortresses is not one of them.